


We Don't Need (Things Like) Memories

by HimuraMasaki



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Miya Atsumu, Past Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Past Relationship(s), mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:48:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28046478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HimuraMasaki/pseuds/HimuraMasaki
Summary: Miya Atsumu meets to guy he swore he'd set for after 5 years, but something has changed. Something was different. And since when was Atsumu the type to not be nosy?----------Third person POV but from Atsumu's perspective. I may switch to Hinata later on if I feel the need.Thought I'd pick a different artist this time, so chapter titles are going to be song names by Official Hige Dandism!Very minor Akaashi/Osamu, so if you absolutely despise that ship, just be warned. But it is in the background, though I may eventually write a spin-off.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Miya Osamu, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu
Comments: 13
Kudos: 58





	1. Bad For Me

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Hinata Shoyo! I’ll be a Wing Spiker for Black Jackals from now. I look forward to playing with you.”

The ginger bowed his head low, as a blonde man strutted into the gym, ten minutes late, but without a care in the world. Why would he care about meeting someone new? It was just another actor in the play he directs. Just another dancer in the ballet he puts on. Just another-

“Hey hey hey! Hinata! You never told me you were trying out for Black Jackals!” The platinum haired giant effortlessly picked up the ginger and spun him around like a child, as if all the muscle weight the younger one had gained in the last few years amounted to nothing.

Hinata Shoyo, that little rascal, kicked about, giggling light-heartedly, “Bokuto-san! I’m not a kid! Please put me down!” Bokuto Kōtarō, that dumb ace with no sense of boundaries, put Hinata down, but not without a slight pout. How childish. But Hinata Shoyo, that little angel, shot him a wide million dollar smile which immediately put the simpleton back in a great mood, “It’s so good to see you again, Bokuto-san. It’s been too long. Kenma suggested that I try out for Black Jackals, but I didn’t know anything about the team, since I’ve been away. So I didn’t know you were on the team until I was doing some research after my tryout. Otherwise, I would have reached out sooner!”

Bokuto grinned with his hands on either hip, as if he were Superman or something, “Well, now that you now! You know you can come to me for whatever you need, any time you need someone to talk to! Daddy will help you! I’m excited to get to play with you, Hinata!”

Hinata nodded and smiled that sunshine-esque smile of his, “Thank you, Bokuto-san! I am excited as well!”

“Oi oi oi, if it isn’t the chibi-chan I swore I would set for.” The blonde finally let his smooth tenor voice and Kansai dialect cut through the crowd before him, immediately grabbing everyone’s attention. He slowly dragged himself up to the front with his arms crossed, looking down at Hinata Shoyo with an air of authority and supremacy.

Hinata turned slightly to face the blonde standing before him. He seemed to pause for a second, perhaps even think, “Um… Miyano-san?”

“It’s Miya!” What air of authority? Of supremacy? Miya Atsumu had been taken down by the younger male in one fell swoop. This guy was good. “Come on, kiddo, don’t tell me ya forgot me.”

Hinata bowed his head slightly, “I haven’t! You’re Atsumu-san, the setter who’s very similar to Oikawa san. Kageyama hated you. Oh, and you have a twin brother, Osamu-san. Sorry, I just couldn’t remember your name. Wait… Miya as in Onigiri Miya?”

Atsumu raised his eyebrows, impressed, “Well, well, would ya look at that? Someone sure has become mature in the time that we haven’t seen ‘im around these parts. Yea, Onigiri Miya is ‘Samu’s business. Dumb hoe left me for rice. Back to you, though, you can have the special privilege of calling me Atsumu-senpai.”

“Even _san_ is too much for you, Miya.” Atsumu’s eyes narrowed at the other voice that came out from behind behind him. This one also a tenor but with a slightly darker, delicate tone, as opposed to Atsumu’s bold and almost brash tone. The voice that made Atsumu’s hair stand.

“Omiiii~ Why are ya always mean ta me?” Atsumu turned around with a slight pout and looked up at the annoyingly beautiful man.

A raven stepped up from behind Atsumu, looking between Hinata and Atsumu. He was a quite bit taller than Atsumu, and looked even taller because of his curly hair that had a bit of volume. _The asshole._ The raven looked down at Hinata, and Hinata’s face seemed to slowly turn pink at the sight of the stupid beauty before him. Despite the mask that covered half his face, the tall male had soft, gentle features, and deep grey eyes one could lose themselves in. _Even though he is anything but soft and gentle. Yuck._ He had a beauty spot above his right eye. Didn’t Karasuno have a beautiful manager with a beauty spot, albeit on her chin? Maybe this dumbass reminded Hinata of her. She was a goddess of a woman after all. The raven’s eyes softened slowly, the longer he looked at Hinata, “I’m Sakusa Kiyoomi. I’m also a Wing Spiker, I usually play Outside Hitter.”

_Damn it Shoyo-kun, close the waterfalls coming from your mouth. Omi-Omi ain’t even that pretty._ Clearly, Atsumu had telepathic powers or something, because Hinata promptly forced his mouth shut, and pulled his eyes away from the man’s face. It wasn’t the first time he was seeing the former Itachiyama ace, but it was the first time he was seeing him from up close. _Okay, maybe Omi-Omi is pretty, but he’s an asshole._ Hinata bowed ever so slightly. He bowed! How come Atsumu didn’t get that response?! “It’s, um, nice to meet you. Umm… Can I call you Omi-san too? It’s a cute nickname!”

Sakusa shrugged, “Sure, I guess.” Atsumu watched in mild disgust as Sakusa’s lips stretched into a smile, no doubt at seeing how much Hinata resembled a puppy. Maybe Sakusa too was human after all. Not to mention _Omi-san_ sounded so pretty when Hinata said it. So who was Sakusa to say no to something so pretty?

Wait wait wait. Did Sakusa just say yes?! Atsumu gasped without grace, “Why is it okay for the kid to call ya Omi but not me?! What have I done to deserve this?!” Clearly, Miya Atsumu was offended, probably more by the fact that he wasn’t the centre of attention than the nickname situation though.

Sakusa rolled his eyes, “Because Hinata-kun actually asked, and you are repulsive.”

Atsumu pouted some more, “Ya hurt me, Omi-kun.”

Sakusa nodded, “Good.”

A sigh came from behind Sakusa and Atsumu, before both their heads were pushed down ever so slightly, “Can’t you two just get along? How is Hinata-kun even going to get a chance to meet the rest of the team if you just bicker and don’t step aside?”

Sakusa’s eyes widened at that and he immediately stepped away, “Sorry, Captain.”

Atsumu’s eyes narrowed at Sakusa, muttering out, “Sucking up ta the Cap’ as usual…” He turned to the taller male and stepped aside as well, “My bad.”

The tall, dark haired male looked at Hinata with a wide grin, “We’re happy to have you, Hinata-kun. I’m Meian Shuugo, the captain. Sakusa and Miya are sometimes a handful, or maybe all the time, but hopefully they don’t scare you away…”

Hinata snickered slightly and shook the captain’s hand, “After the team I was in, this is nothing. Not to mention some of the people I partnered up with overseas.”

A much shorter player quickly pushed the captain aside and threw his arms around Hinata, squishing him in a bear hug. He wasn’t much taller than Hinata at all! “Oh my god, he’s so cute!” He grinned and pulled away after a second, “I’m Inunaki Shion! I’m the libero.” And then there were 2 million dollar smiles beside each other. Atsumu’s heart was going to give out. He was so weak for the cutie types.

Hinata smiled and bowed his head ever so slightly. _So he’s really bowing to everyone but me, huh? I see how it is._ “It’s nice to meet you, Inunaki-san.”

“I can’t believe we have someone shorter than Shion,” A very tall man with a thick accent began.

Hinata lit up like a 1000 watt bulb because who wouldn’t? It was a volleyball player that most of the new generation, most likely including Hinata, had looked up to for the longest time, Adriah Thomas. Hinata effortlessly switched over to English, “Mr. Thomas! It’s a pleasure to meet you! I can’t believe I’m going to have the chance to be an opposite on the same team as you! I’ve always really looked up to you! I watched all your games on TV when I was in middle and high school!”

The older man, oldest on the team actually, just laughed heartily and ruffled Hinata’s head. He was a whole foot taller than Hinata. “Adriah. Adriah, please. It’s good to meet you too, kid. It’ll be nice to have someone I can speak in English to.”

“So, what, I’m invisible to you?” Another tall player stepped up behind Adriah, speaking in English and smiling down at Hinata, “Oliver Barnes, nice to meet you, Shoyo.”

Hinata smiled and shook Oliver’s hand, “You too, sir!

Shion smiled and threw his arm around Hinata’s shoulder again, “Hey, so can we do a welcome party for you, Hinata-kun?”

Hinata chuckled out, “Maybe later? I’m going to go unpack my stuff into my dorm room first. I didn’t get a chance earlier. It’s nice to meet everyone though. You all seem really fun! And it’s nice to meet you guys again.” He turned to his acquaintances from high school with a wide grin, before bowing at all of the team members. He turned to the coaches and the other reserve members of the team whom he didn’t know yet, “I’m sorry I didn’t get to say much to you. I look forward to getting to know everyone though!”

Atsumu grinned and threw his arm around Hinata’s neck, “In that case! Yer best senpai here will help you out with unpacking, kiddo.”

Hinata looked up at Atsumu, eyes brighter than white light bulbs and his lips stretching in the purest possible smile, “Really?! Thank you so much, Atsumu-senpai! That would help so much!”

Atsumu felt as though he was stabbed through the heart with that innocent smile of Hinata’s. Especially since he had no intention of helping. He had just wanted to come across as nicer than Sakusa and Bokuto, and the rest, but particularly those two, but now he felt like he would actually end up helping, because the last thing he’d want to do is turn _that_ bright a smile upside down. “Of course!” He grinned, “Let’s go, Young Hinata!”

Hinata snickered and walked out of the gym with Atsumu, heading to the elevator, noting but not reacting to the glare Sakusa was directing at Atsumu as they left, “So… Was that an All Might reference? Are you a Boku no Hero Academia fan?”

Atsumu blinked a couple of times, calling for the elevator, “Oh? You too?”

Hinata shook his head with a slight shrug, “Like, I am, but I’m more of a One Piece fan. But I definitely keep up with BokuHero too.”

Atsumu nodded, “Good choice. Favourite character?” He stepped into the elevator, followed by Hinata, his arm falling off of Hinata’s shoulders and returning to his side.

The ginger grinned widely, those sparkly eyes blinking at Atsumu in awe, “In BokuHero? Eraserhead by a landslide! In One Piece though, Zoro!! Who is yours?”

Atsumu chuckled a little at how excited Hinata got, then thought for a second, “Robin n’ Usopp. Kirishima in Hero.”

Hinata snickered a bit, but not elaborating any further. It slowly morphed into a warm smile, “I’m happy you like manga, Atsumu-senpai. My roommate in Rio read a lot of manga too, we really got along because of it. So I hope we can get along well too, because of that!”

Atsumu sighed, “I hope you remember that I’m also your setter. I’d like to get along with ya over more than just manga.”

Hinata’s eyes sparkled once again and he stepped closer to Atsumu, “Oh yeah! Will you toss for me later please?”

Atsumu sighed and shrugged, “I guess I can. Personally, I’d like to see ya outdo that dumbass ace of ours, so I’ll help ya practise.”

Hinata grinned and nodded, “I will hold you to that, Senpai, but I’m not sure I could outdo Bokuto-san.”

_Please don’t hold me to anything_ , Atsumu wanted to beg, but once again found himself in a losing battle against Hinata’s smile, “Whatever ya say, chibi-chan~ We can at least get ya to beat dumb Omi then.”

Hinata chuckled softly as the elevator dinged as they reached the 15th floor where the MSBY dorms were. Hinata stepped out first, leading the way to his dorm, which was at the end of the hallway on the left, across from Sakusa’s room. “Sorry, it’s a mess in here because I only had enough time to drop my stuff off.”

Atsumu shrugged, “Omi-kun, Akaashi-kun and I have helped clean Bokuto-san’s room more than once. It can’t possibly be worse than that.”

Hinata lit up as he opened up his room, “Akaashi-san comes around?”

Atsumu nodded, chuckling slightly, “Well, of course he does! They’re still best friends, after all. He comes over whenever his editing cycle gives him a moment to breathe.”

Hinata shrugged and smiled warmly, “That’s nostalgic. I haven’t seen them together in so long. It must be weird for Bokuto-san to spike someone else’s tosses, after how much he used to adore Akaashi-san as a setter.”

Atsumu gritted his teeth slightly and raised an eyebrow, seething not so subtly, “Oh, for suuuuure, it must be soooooo weird for him to hit _someone else’s_ tosses. And _poor Bokkun_ , he would _neeeever_ mention it to his current setter, how much he loved his _former_ setter’s tosses.”

Hinata blinked a couple of times and looked up at Atsumu, “Oops… I didn’t mean to call you out about anything, Senpai.”

Atsumu narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, “Well on the note of former setters, shouldn’t it be just as weird for you, who adored your former setter’s tosses, to be here with a different one?” Hinata’s face went blank for a second. Colour drained from his chubby cheeks as he dug around his pocket to find his keys. He turned away from Atsumu to unlock the door, then turned back and his face was back to normal. Bright smile, warm cheeks, but Atsumu was sharper than to buy that. Warning sirens were blaring in Atsumu’s head. He had said something he shouldn’t have. Should he apologize? Should he pretend it didn’t happen? How should he wipe that fake smile off of Hinata’s face and bring back the genuine smiles? Atsumu bit his lip and cursed at himself for being such a loose-mouthed idiot. He sighed and pat Hinata’s back, “Well, I for one am thankful to have you on my team. I’m going to make you the best goddamn spiker the world has ever seen.”

Atsumu could feel Hinata’s back tense up slightly at the touch, but he also felt Hinata’s face genuinely brighten, and then he felt Hinata’s back relax. The smile was smaller and his eyes were wide, but Atsumu could tell that for once, he hadn’t royally fucked up. Hinata sighed, “Thanks, Atsumu-senpai. I look forward to playing with you.” He unlocked and held the door open, letting Atsumu in. There was a single bed against the wall with a large window, a wardrobe across from it, and a couple of small dressers next to that. There was a desk and a bookshelf against the other wall. There was a lot of floor space, which was nice. Atsumu’s room was more “lived in,” so to say, so he had had enough time to customize it and add more furniture than just what MSBY gave them. He had a mini fridge, a microwave, a kotatsu, a TV and a few other things. Of course, some posters and things around the room too, which Hinata did not have, at least yet. It wasn’t really messy at all, despite what Hinata had insinuated. There were just a few small stacks of boxes against the wall, and a few suitcases next to that.

Atsumu smiled and ruffled up Hinata’s hair a little bit, “Welcome back to Japan, chibi-chan. Let’s get yer stuff unpacked.”

Hinata smiled, handing a box cutter to Atsumu, “Thanks, senpai. It’s nice to be back.”

Atsumu sat on the floor, pulling a box towards himself. He watched Hinata follow suit before tilting his head, “Are you going to get more furniture?”

Hinata shrugged, opening up his box, pulling some manga and magazines out of it, starting to arrange them on the bookshelf. “I’m not sure yet. We have all the workout equipment in the gyms, so maybe a yoga mat? I haven’t decided yet. Do you have any recommendations?”

Atsumu thought for a second, “I recommend a microwave or a kettle. Not technically furniture, but I like to eat midnight snacks, so it’s nice to have something to heat things up. And maybe a mini-fridge, if you’re not all about cup ramen.” Atsumu opened up his box, filled up with some of Hinata’s workout equipment - dumbbells, medicine balls, sneakers, jump rope, resistance bands and many other things. “Here I was thinking you were in Brazil getting ass, but ya must have had _no_ fun at all.”

Hinata chuckled a bit and shook his head, “I just wanted to lose myself in volleyball. Besides, you don’t know that I _didn’t_ get any.” He smirked slightly, before turning his attention back to his box.

Atsumu raised his eyebrow with a snicker, but didn’t comment on it, “Where should I put the boring stuff then?”

Hinata pointed at one of the chests of drawers, “If you can fit it all in one drawer, then go for that, or two, if you need. And actually, while you’re there, could you stack the dressers? It’ll save space I think.”

Atsumu nodded and dragged the box over to the wall. He easily stacked up the two dressers, before sitting back down and neatly unpacking the contents of the box into the bottom drawer. As the two of them finished their first box, they went on to open more boxes, eventually swapping places so Hinata could put his clothes away as Atsumu put his shoes away, then spread the sheets onto the bed. Atsumu creeped up behind Hinata when he was done setting the bed, wrapping his arms around Hinata’s waist, tickling his sides.

Hinata yelped and jumped in place, kicking around, “Senpai, stop!!!” He laughed heartily, trying to pull away from Atsumu. “Senpai I can’t…. Please… Stop…. Ahaha…”

Atsumu smiled and pulled away, “Just teas-” Atsumu cut himself short and his eyes widened at the sight of Hinata’s face, as he slowly turned around to face Atsumu. Beet red, sweating and panting heavily. He felt something throbbing at the sight of the younger wing spiker looking like that. Without any intention or understanding, Atsumu found himself leaning in towards Hinata. Hinata froze in place, lips parted ever so slightly, unsure of what was happening, and Atsumu couldn’t seem to stop himself. He stepped closer as Hinata stepped back, until Hinata was backed up against the wardrobe door. Atsumu gulped audibly as his arms slowly came up and rested on the wardrobe on either side of Hinata’s head. It was like there were two halves to his mind. The half that could read how risky the atmosphere was, and could hear how hard his heart was beating. It could understand that this was a bad idea and that he would likely regret it, but the other half of his mind just wanted to take, take, take… _Fuck._

Just as the gap between them closed to mere centimetres, there was a knock on Hinata’s door, immediately snapping both of them out of their seeming trance. Atsumu gasped and quickly took a large step back, hitting his leg against the bed and cursing out. Hinata panicked and helped Atsumu sit down on the bed, kneeling down to check his leg. “I-I-It’s open,” he called out in panic, looking at the door over his shoulder.

The door opened, revealing Sakusa’s beautiful masked face, “Hey. We were going to order food to celebrate you joining us. What do you want? Sushi? Pizza?” He paused at the sight of Hinata and Atsumu, tilting his head, “Is he…okay?”

Atsumu smirked, hoping to diffuse the tension as soon as possible, “Who are you and what have you done to Omi-kun? Since when do you care about me?”

Sakusa narrowed his eyes, “Believe me, I don’t. Unfortunately we don’t have a reserve setter though.”

Hinata sighed in relief, the blush on his face slowly dying down, “H-He just backed into the bed, so I’m making sure it’s nothing serious.” He turned back to Atsumu’s leg, rolling his trousers up so he could make sure there were no cuts or bruises. He nodded and looked up at Atsumu, “I think you’ll be okay!”

Atsumu nodded, slowly pulling his leg out of Hinata’s hold, mostly just wanting Hinata to get up so he could get the image of Hinata kneeling in front of him out of his head as soon as possible, especially in context of having almost kissed his new wing spiker. His? No no no, the new wing spiker “S-So, Hinata-kun.. What do you want to eat? Omi-kun will probably get annoyed if you don’t answer.”

Hinata thought for a moment, “Um. Pizza. The best thing about sushi is All-You-Can-Eat, which you can’t get in delivery, but we should go out for that some time!”

Sakusa nodded, “Sure. Do you need help? Pest control maybe?” He narrowed his eyes at Atsumu, especially for that last remark.

Hinata snickered a bit and shook his head, standing up from his spot to face Sakusa fully, “Atsumu-senpai has been very helpful, Omi-san. And I’m good, it’s just this last suitcase, which is mostly clothes, so I can handle it even when we get back.”

Sakusa shrugged, “That’s good, though I’m sure he just made you think that. Did he tell you about the time that Bokuto-san, Akaashi-kun and I cleaned Bokuto-san’s room from top to bottom while he just sat on the bed, commenting and pretending to help us out. I don’t think he even moved a single piece of paper. But somehow brainwashed Bokuto-san into thinking that he helped a lot.”

Hinata raised his eyebrow and turned to Atsumu, “Oh? Is that how it went?”

Atsumu pouted, “Okay, maybe it was a little different than I had let on.”

Sakusa sighed and leaned against the doorframe, “Let me know if you need me to exterminate that thing, Hinata-kun.”

“Omi-kun!!!” Atsumu whined, “Why are ya always so mean to me.”

Sakusa rolled his eyes, “Again. You’re revolting.”

Hinata put his clothes away quickly, trying to be discreet with things that required discretion, before stretching out, “You guys are really fun.”

Atsumu smirked and nodded, “Why, thank ya, Hinata-kun.”

Hinata tilted his head, “Oh. Um. Would it be too much for you guys to call me Shoyo? I got used to it overseas, so now Hinata sounds a little…stiff?”

Atsumu nodded, throwing his arm around Hinata’s shoulder, “Shoyo-kun, then.”

Sakusa sighed and grabbed Hinata’s arm, pulling him free of Atsumu’s hold, “Let’s get you downstairs, Shoyo-kun, and away from the leech. Everyone’s waiting for you.”

Hinata blinked a few times, looking up at Sakusa. There was that look again in Hinata’s eyes. Clearly, Hinata was weak for the pretty types, seeing how he seemed so flustered every time Sakusa was next to him, not to mention touching him, which wasn’t something Atsumu had ever seen Sakusa do with anyone. Hinata grinned that million watt grin at Sakusa, “Omi-san, you’re like a mom.”

Sakusa raised his eyebrow, letting go of Hinata’s arm rather suddenly. Ah. So he realized it’s not his usual style to grab someone. “No, I’m not. I’m just keeping Miya’s dumb ass away from you. He’s a parasite.”

Hinata nodded, “Like a mom would.”

Atsumu grinned, approaching Sakusa and Hinata, “Yeah, Mama Om-”

He was cut off by a sharp jab in his stomach, albeit not hard enough to hurt him. Sakusa never hurt him. But somehow did resort to a physical attack for the first time ever. “Shut it. I’m not _your_ mom.”

Hinata snickered and tilted his head, “But you are mine?”

Sakusa sighed. Atsumu shot daggers at Sakusa, his eyes screaming not to let Hinata down. And Sakusa must have been weak to the cute types too, because he chose not to answer Hinata’s question, instead of denying it. And in this case, that meant defeat. Of course, there was no way Sakusa would admit to that, so instead, he shrugged, “Shall we head downstairs?”

Hinata nodded, taking his keys and following Sakusa and Atsumu out of his room, hearing the auto-lock of his door. He headed into the elevator with a slight skip to his step. It was really lovely meeting so many people. And talking in Japanese after quite a while. Hinata gasped as the elevator doors closed, “Oh! Do you two mind if I make a quick phone call before we get to the party? I just want to let, uh, my sponsor know that I’m unpacked and ready to go.” Sakusa and Atsumu nodded, so Hinata pulled out his phone, using his speed dial to call one of his best friends ever, Kozume Kenma.

“Hello?” A sweet, soft voice came from the other end as the ringing ended.

“Hey, Kenma! I just wanted to let you know that I got myself unpacked into the dorms.”

“Shoyo…” The gamer drawled, “That’s good to hear. I still would have gotten you an apartment. I still can, any time you want. Or you can come live with me.”

Hinata chuckled slightly, “Nooo! Don’t take the trouble, I’ve already bothered you too much!” Hinata smiled nostalgically, missing the feeling of talking to his best friend whenever he wanted since he had been so far away for so long. Hinata sighed and bit his lip, “Anyway, the dorms are actually really nice and convenient. I just wanted to let you know.”

Kenma sighed over the line, “That’s good. Let me know if you need anything. And, just as a warning, BJs have a game with Schweiden Adlers next month. I thought you may want to be prepared.”

Atsumu’s eyes snapped to Hinata’s face at the vague sound of Adlers being mentioned over the phone. Sure enough, colour had drained from Hinata’s face, just like before, and it most certainly did not go unnoticed this time either, even if he laughed it off and tried to hide it, “What are you saying, I’ll be fine. Anyway, I gotta get to this welcome party. Let’s go grab dinner sometime, I miss you. Bye Kenma, love you.”

Kenma nodded and sighed, “Have fun. Love you too, Shoyo. Say hi to Bokuto-san for me.”

The moment Hinata hung up, Atsumu grinned sideways at him, “So… Kodzuken is your sponsor? Is that even allowed? Isn’t it a conflict of interest?”

Hinata blushed deeply and pouted, “It’s not! He’s my sponsor and my best friend… I’m not sure why he chose to be, but I really appreciate it. It’s the only reason I was able to survive running off to Brazil for 2 years.”

Atsumu sighed and shrugged, “Damn, I wish any of my friends was rich enough to sponsor me. Why couldn’t ‘Samu go into a more lucrative business? Dumbass.”

Hinata chuckled and nodded, “It is nice, but it does make me feel guilty to take his money. But at least I know for sure that he likes me.”

Sakusa shrugged, “Well, you’re a good athlete, I’m sure you will have companies lining up to sponsor you soon.”

Atsumu pouted, “Just because you do, Omi-kun.”

Sakusa narrowed his eyes, “Maybe you would too, if you spent as much time improving yourself at the sport as you did complaining, or flirting around.”

Atsumu continued to pout, “You don’t think that, do you, Shoyo?”

Hinata shrugged, “I guess I just don’t think flirting or dating and training have to be mutually exclusive? Though it is hard to balance.”

Atsumu raised an eyebrow suggestively, “Heh~ So you have experience?”

Hinata sighed, “You’re just teasing me now! And I was even on your side!”

Sakusa sighed, “Feel free to spray him with lysol if he bothers you. Or pepper spray.”

Atsumu frowned, “Omi-kun whyyyy!”

Hinata chuckled and tilted his head, looking up at Sakusa, “I _am_ curious, actually. Why Atsumu-senpai? You’re nice to me, and you’ve been nice to Bokuto-san as far as I’ve seen. And Bokuto-san is much sloppier than Atsumu-senpai.”

Sakusa shrugged, “You and Bokuto-san are genuinely kind people though. I don’t believe that for Miya.”

Hinata chuckled a bit and looked up at Atsumu, whose face couldn’t stop from lighting up at the sight of Hinata’s laugh, “I think you’re a good person, Atsumu-senpai.”

Atsumu smiled at Hinata then childishly stuck his tongue out at Sakusa, “Nobody likes you either, Omi-kun.”

Sakusa shrugged, “Well then, it’s good that I don’t let others decide my value for me.”

Hinata chuckled softly as the elevator dinged and opened on the lounge level. He stepped out and looked around, “So where are we going?”

Sakusa stepped out and led the way, “I’ll show you the way, we have a whole bunch of lounge areas, bit this is the biggest one.”

Hinata nodded and followed after him, but not for long, because once he noticed the giant panoramic window at the end of the hallway, he ran towards it in excitement. Sakusa sighed and turned on his heel to follow Hinata. Atsumu quickly followed after Hinata. Hinata pressed his hands against the window and looked out the 24th floor window. His eyes lit up as he looked over the city lights, the beach, Tokyo Tower, and anything else that interested him. Atsumu was tempted to sneak up behind Hinata and surprise him again but the thought of Hinata reacting as he did before stopped him in his tracks. That would be too risky for a second time. Hinata smiled and looked back at Sakusa and Atsumu, “It’s so pretty…”

Atsumu smiled at that and ruffled up Hinata’s hair, “Yeah, it is. Now come, everyone’s waiting for you. We can come back later if you want.”

Hinata nodded and turned around, albeit slightly reluctantly, “Okay…”

Sakusa turned around and once again began leading Hinata to the lounge. The mask hid it, but he smiled ever so slightly at how happy Hinata got over something so simple. He walked over to the lounge door and held it open for Hinata, and begrudgingly also for Atsumu.

Hinata barely stepped past the door before hearing a loud, “HEY HEY HEY!!! Hinata!! We’ve been waiting for you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally decided which of my 7 drafts I wanted to publish and fixed that one up lmao ><
> 
> This fic is a slower process than my other Haikyuu ones and will probably end up being quite a bit longer, so bear with me as I take my time with it.
> 
> Soooo. As hinted in the chapter, there is going to be a lot of tension and unresolved stuff between Kageyama and Hinata. I haven't decided if there will be a flashback, but there may be. Fair warning, while trying to keep it spoiler-free, Kageyama is not going to be the good guy in this scenario, so if you're a really hardcore Kageyama stan, just keep that in mind.
> 
> Also, I haven't decided what the side ship will be yet, though I know I want to do one. It'll be either BokuAka or OsaAka so I'm trying to see where the story takes me. We'll go with the flow lmao.
> 
> Anyway, hope it's not terrible, idk why I struggled so hard with writing this. Perfectionism do be a bitch.
> 
> Cheers, stay safe!


	2. Parabola

The lounge was a large room with another panoramic window. There were large couches and tables around the room, a circular bar counter in the centre, arm chairs and tables near the windows. There was a bar in the corner, which was open for the night, courtesy of MSBY. So Hinata had taken the opportunity to have a couple of glasses of whiskey on the rocks. The pizza hadn’t come in just yet, but there were snacks laid out on the table, so Hinata helped himself to those. Of course, eating just Doritos and drinking whiskey straight was probably going to prove to be a bad idea, but that was a problem for future Hinata. Present Hinata was already a little too tipsy to care.

Seeing Hinata down the alcohol so smoothly simultaneously impressed and concerned Atsumu, who internally decided to make sure Hinata wouldn’t overdo it. And it would seem he wasn’t alone, with how Sakusa was constantly shooting sideways glances at Hinata, or more specifically, at Hinata’s glass. However, for the time being, Sakusa retreated to his “safe corner,” where he usually sat alone and glared at people so hard that they never bothered him, or even approached. Atsumu took a seat opposite from Bokuto and Hinata, and next to Shion. Atsumu nursed his beer as he watched Hinata down shot after shot that Shion or Oliver brought him. Idiots. They would regret it in the morning. It’s not like they were 20 to have the stomach to down all that alcohol and be fine. Well maybe Hinata would be. He had already done maybe 7 shots of whiskey, and 3 or 4 of tequila with Shion and Oliver, and for the most part, other than some giggling fits and slurred words, Hinata seemed alright.

Oohhhh no no no no. No. Atsumu’s eyes widened at the tray of shots headed their way, carried by none other than Adriah, “Oh no. No no. Stop. Are ya guys planning to drink until yer sick? Can’t ya at least wait for the food? Shoyo-kun, don’t do it. No. You put that glass down now.”

Adriah grinned as Hinata picked up a glass and picked one up himself, “Limits were made to be tested.”

Atsumu was grateful to Adriah for helping him practise his English skills, but at the moment, he really wanted to leap across the table and strangle him. He sighed and pulled the shot glass out of Hinata’s hands, “Shoyo-kun, why don’t ya wait for the food and then drink some more? Yeah?”

Hinata pouted slightly, his hand chasing after the shot glass in Atsumu’s hand, but then sighed, “I gueeessss~”

Atsumu sighed and nodded, setting the glass down, “Okay good, I’m leaving the glass here. Take it after eating a couple slices of pizza, okay?”

Hinata nodded and tilted his head at Atsumu, “Are you taking care of me?”

Atsumu sighed, “I guess. Ya look like ya need it.”

Hinata chuckled softly and leaned forward on the table, “Atsumu-senpai is soooooo nice!”

Atsumu blinked a couple of times and rubbed his temples, “Yeah, yeah. Do ya need to go to the bathroom or something? Need water maybe?”

Hinata shook his head, “‘M fiiiine! I used to drink waaaay more in Brazil!”

Atsumu raised an eyebrow, “Well then. That’s concerning too.” He sighed and sipped his rum and coke slowly.

“Pizza’s here!”

Atsumu’s eyes widened as he watched Hinata perk up and snap his head in the direction of the voice. Hinata’s face filled with joy as he jumped out of his seat and ran over to the male who brought the pizzas, throwing his arms around his torso, “Akaaaaashi-san!!! It’s been so long! I didn’t know you were cominggg~”

The older male adjusted his glasses before wrapping his arms around Hinata’s shoulders, “It’s nice to see you too, Hinata.” Bokuto walked up to Akaashi, slightly tipsy himself, and ruffled his hair before walking over to the pizza and taking a couple of slices, yelling an obnoxious thanks at Akaashi. Akaashi turned around and looked at Bokuto, “Oh, there’s also onigiri, if you would like, Bokuto-san.”

A slight grin grew on Atsumu’s face at that. Onigiri? Surely from Onigiri Miya. Akaashi had made it abundantly clear that no other onigiri even got close. So ‘Samu was trying to make a move on Akaashi? About time. _Get him, tiger._

Atsumu’s grin quickly faded when Akaashi suddenly narrowed his eyes at the rest of the team, particularly him, “Now, who let Hinata get this drunk?”

Atsumu frowned, “I’ll have you know I was trying to _stop_ this madness. This is all on Shion, Thomas and Barnes.”

Akaashi sighed and pat Hinata’s head, “Come on, let’s get you some food. Onigiri or pizza?”

Hinata snickered and tilted his head, “Thaaanks Akaashi-san. I’ll have Onigiri.” He let go of Akaashi and walked over to the large box of Onigiri, taking a couple of them onto a plate before looking around.

Sakusa, for the first time, crawled out of his corner to grab some food. He stealthily grabbed a couple of onigiri, a slice of pizza and a second beer before retreating to his safe zone, only to be followed there by Hinata. Atsumu hurriedly grabbed a couple of onigiri and decided to lurk around there. Sakusa quietly sat down beside Hinata, taking a couple of sips of beer without a word, before he finally opened his mouth, “Why…?”

Hinata shrugged, “I wanted to let Akaashi-san sit next to Bokuto-san, and Atsumu-senpai is going to stop me from drinking more, so I came here. And I haven’t really talked to you much since you hid here, Omi-san.” He munched on his onigiri with surprising grace for someone so drunk.

Atsumu rolled his eyes slightly. Wow. So because he was trying to be the good senior and take care of Hinata, Hinata was about to move seats, was he? Well then. Sakusa looked at Hinata for a moment, clearly also impressed by how neatly Hinata was eating, despite his current blood alcohol level. He sighed and pulled his mask off completely, rather than having it lowered to his chin, so he could eat comfortably. He tilted his head, “If Miya asks, I never said this, but he’s right. You should take a break from the alcohol.”

_Well, Miya heard ya, ya dick._ Atsumu thought smugly as Hinata frowned, “Why are you both like this? When Pedro and I went to the club in Rio, I would sometimes drink liiiike twice as much as I have today! And I never get sick, or hungover!!”

Sakusa sighed and took a bite from his pizza, “I question that as an athlete.”

Hinata shrugged, his cheeks turning slightly pink in the most adorable way. Atsumu just wanted to pinch them. Hinata bit his lip, “But even athletes are allowed to have a good time once in a while! I miss dancing at the club! I almost always found a fun partner to dance with!”

Atsumu’s eyes widened as he noticed Sakusa’s lips stretch into a small smile. He had never seen one of those on Sakusa. Not to mention he was on the wrong side to see enough of Sakusa’s face anyway, which meant that his smile was probably a lot bigger than it looked like to Atsumu. _Damn, Shoyo-kun. Those are some wicked moves. Whatever you did to make him smile like that._ It certainly was cute how Hinata seemed to find genuinely great happiness in the small things in life, be it the view from earlier or the dancing in Rio. Maybe that’s why Sakusa was smiling. Atsumu cleared his throat and retreated from his snooping. He needed to stop projecting himself on Sakusa.

“Dance with me, Omi-san!”

Atsumu’s head snapped back at the two of them when he heard that. Forget everything he had just said. Why did Sakusa of all the jerks in the world get to dance with Hinata? He wasn’t going to, right? Germs and whatnot? To Atsumu’s horror, Sakusa pulled out a bottle of hand sanitizer from his pocket, spraying Hinata’s hands and his own, before hesitantly taking Hinata’s hand. Hinata then dragged him onto the “dance floor,” which was really just the area in the lounge that wasn’t filled with tables, and Sakusa mostly just looked like he was trying to make sure Hinata wasn’t going to fall. Atsumu felt something boiling in his gut, but he wasn’t sure what to call it. Discomfort? Nausea? Pain? Cramps? It didn’t feel like any of those, and yet felt like all of those all the same. It made him clench his fists and dig his beautifully shaped nails into his palms. It made him grit and grind his teeth until his jaw locked and felt painful. But why was it bothering him? Who was Hinata to him or he to Hinata that he should feel this strangely about something so small? Well. He supposed he _could_ wait for the song to finish and go ask Hinata to dance with him for the next song. He subconsciously found himself inching towards Hinata and Sakusa who were awkwardly standing in front of each other and not really dancing, no doubt because of Sakusa. Atsumu had probably never seen the raven look quite that lost.

As Sakusa seemed to be debating what to do, standing before Hinata, Shion, Oliver and Adriah took to hollering, “Dance! Dance! Dance!” Sakusa shot them a glare, but quickly turned back to Hinata, squeezing his hand to steady him despite all his overtly stated apprehensions about holding a person’s hand. Atsumu actually pitied the guy for once. Sure, his mysophobia was a little inconvenient at times, like when he would spend an hour sanitizing all the volleyballs before they could practise. But it didn’t make Sakusa’s mysophobia any less real, so it did suck to have to watch the raven try to overcome it in Hinata’s best interest.

Atsumu sighed and took another step closer before he heard Sakusa say, “Shoyo… I don’t know how to dance.”

Atsumu’s eyes widened slowly. Wow. Was Sakusa actually attempting to dance with another human being? Maybe this would be worth watching. _Thank you, Shion-kun_. Hinata’s lips stretched out into that million dollar grin once again as he took Sakusa’s other hand as well, “Oh, it’s easy! I just learned from watching when I went around in Brazil! Here, just match my feet first. Just go along with the beat, do what feels right. There’s no wrong answers.”

Sakusa nodded slowly, clearly trying to observe Hinata’s steps for a few seconds before trying to mimic them. It was actually pretty wholesome to watch, even from Atsumu’s _I hate Sakusa_ perspective. Sakusa was quite clumsy at the beginning, but Hinata was surprisingly patient, especially for a drunk 21 year old. He kept repeating his steps, waiting for Sakusa to get the hang of it. By the time the song was about halfway done, Sakusa had gotten the hang of the foot steps. Sakusa looked up at Hinata with an almost smile, “And what do I do with my hands?”

Hinata tilted his head, “Whatever you want, really… Again, just go with the beats and the rhythm. Whatever feels comfortable and right.” He gave Sakusa’s hands a gentle squeeze and moved them around a little bit to get the older male comfortable with moving them. He chuckled softly as he watched Sakusa clumsily attempt to move his hands, feeling very conscious. Sakusa’s head shot up at the sound of Hinata’s laugh, feeling even more conscious, so Hinata quickly shook his head, “No no no, I was just thinking that you’re really like a mom, Omi-san. You don’t have to be conscious when dancing. Really, anything looks fine as long as _you_ are comfortable with those movements…”

Sakusa tilted his head, “How am I like a mom?”

Hinata shrugged, “You just are…” He giggled drunkenly, leaning towards Sakusa. Atsumu gritted his teeth harder, but this time because he knew how uncomfortable Sakusa must be. Everyone adored Hinata, and nobody could say that they didn’t like spending time with him, but Atsumu couldn’t help but feel bad for his mysophobic teammate. Hinata paused his foot movements for a moment and looked up at Sakusa, “Um… Sakumama… I don’t feel good…”

Sakusa stopped dancing immediately and sighed, “Come on, let’s get you upstairs.”

Atsumu quickly rushed up to the two, “Hey, let me. I’ll take him up. I know ya suck with bein’ in other people’s spaces, Omi-kun.”

Sakusa seemed to let out a heavy sigh of relief as he let go of Hinata’s hands, “Oh… Okay…” Atsumu nodded and wrapped his arm around Hinata’s shoulders, leading him out of the lounge. Sakusa followed after him until they were at the doors of the lounge and tilted his head quizzically, “Uh… Miya?”

Atsumu blinked a couple of times and turned around, “Ya don’t have ta worry, I won’t do anything sketchy…”

Sakusa shook his head slowly, “No, that’s not it… Thank you.”

Atsumu’s eyes widened impossibly. Well, that was new. He nodded as his eyes ran scanned down to see Sakusa itching his hands furiously. He sighed, “It’s fine. Go wash yer hands or whatever ya got to do, I’ll take care of Shoyo-kun.”

Sakusa nodded and sped over to the bathrooms as Atsumu led Hinata out of the lounge. Hinata looked up at Atsumu, eyes wide and blinking slowly, “Atsumu-senpai… What happened to Omi-san?”

Atsumu sighed, “Nothing… Ya don’t have ta worry either. He just has a bad case of mysophobia, he’s bad at physical contact, or even just being really close to people.”

Hinata’s eyes widened impossibly as they stepped into the elevator, “D-Did I make him uncomfortable?”

Atsumu shook his head and ruffled Hinata’s hair gently, “Don’t sweat it. Omi is the kinda guy who woulda said no if he really hated it. He has no qualms about telling people no. Yer fine. And ya can always apologize later.”

Hinata nodded slowly, “I’ll do that.”

Atsumu smiled and stroked Hinata’s back gently, “Shoyo-kun, I’m sorry about earlier.”

Hinata’s head perked up from under Atsumu’s arm, and he looked up at the older male with wide eyes, “For what?”

Atsumu sighed, “For a lot of things… But mainly for mentioning Tobio-kun unprompted. I’m sorry, I was inconsiderate.”

Hinata blinked a couple of times, leaning closer to Atsumu, clearly trying to steady himself, before averting his eyes, “It’s fine, Atsumu-senpai… I really thought I would be okay to talk about Kageyama by now, but I guess I’m not… Sometimes I wanna tell someone about everything that happened just so I can get it off of my chest, but it’s hard, and I don’t want to bother anyone… So I guess I still get stiff when I hear his name…”

Atsumu blinked a couple of times. Of course, the alcohol had given Hinata loose lips, but Atsumu felt like he was listening to something that wasn’t meant for him. He felt the walls of the elevator closing in around him and he felt an uncomfortable feeling growing in his stomach. This wasn’t right. He sighed and ruffled up Hinata’s hair again, “Shoyo-kun, ya don’t gotta talk about it. I can’t imagine it’s easy, whatever it is yer going through. But I’m here for ya, any time ya feel ready to talk about it. Okay?”

Hinata nodded and leaned into Atsumu’s chest for a hug, “Mmkay… Thanks, ‘Tsumu-senpai…”

Atsumu perked up at that. Nobody other than Osamu ever called him that, but it sounded so sweet coming from Hinata. When Osamu had nicknamed him, he had found the name so strange, but now it felt nice. Atsumu sighed and continued to stroke Hinata’s hair until the elevator dinged open. He patted Hinata’s back gently, “Shoyo-kun, don’t sleep on me. Let’s get ya to bed.”

Hinata looked up at Atsumu, tilting his head, “But ‘Tsumu-senpai comfy!”

Atsumu sighed and walked Hinata out of the elevator and towards his room, “Yeah, yeah, just pull out yer keys, ya drunkard.”

Hinata chuckled and dug around in his pocket for his keys before pulling them out, only to promptly drop them on the floor. Atsumu sighed and leaned him against the wall for a second, so he could lean down and grab the keys. He then led Hinata to his room and opened the door for him, letting him step inside first before following suit. He set the keys down on the desk and helped Hinata to his bed. He pulled the sheets over the younger male and sighed, “Come on, get some sleep. Should I get ya some water or juice?”

Hinata shook his head and reached out to grab Atsumu’s hand, “I’m okay… Can you stay with me till I fall asleep?”

Atsumu sighed and nodded, sitting down on the floor and returning the grip on Hinata’s hand, “Ya doin okay there, Shoyo-kun?”

Hinata nodded slowly, “Yeah. It’s weird. I spent so much time in Brazil that the homesickness just became a part of me. Of course I talked to my family once or twice a week, and I usually talked to Kenma a couple of times a month too, but it was still lonely there. No amount of dancing at the club would let me forget that loneliness. But for the first time in a really long time, I don’t feel lonely.”

Atsumu smiled warmly and squeezed Hinata’s hand, “So ya didn’t dance with Omi-kun because you were lonely?”

Hinata chuckled and shook his head, “Noooooo! I danced because I was having a good time… And don’t tell Omi-san but I had no idea what I was doing either.”

Atsumu smirked slightly and tilted his head, “Oh? Despite all the dancing a clubs?”

Hinata shrugged and turned to his side so he could completely face Atsumu, “Well… I’m sure you know what dancing at the club is like… I couldn’t exactly teach Sakumama how to grind…”

Atsumu laughed out loud at the thought of that, “Alright yeah, I’ll keep that one to myself. Yer an entertaining drunk, Shoyo-kun.”

Hinata smiled and yawned softly, “You’re a good person, Atsumu-senpai.”

Atsumu sighed and rested his chin on the soft bed, tilting his head slightly, “Yeah? Ya’d be the only person to say that…”

Hinata smiled and shrugged, “I don’t think so. I’m sure that if nobody else sees it, your old captain saw it.”

Atsumu blinked a couple of times, feeling his lips stretch into a small smile, “And how would ya figure that? Although, speaking of him, yer a little bit like Kita-san, ya know?”

Hinata perked up at that, “I am? I didn’t think so…”

Atsumu chuckled softly, “Just a bit… Ya have the same ridiculously hardworking vibe. Samu said it back in high school, and I don’t think I got it back then, but I do now. Ya play volleyball like yer eating a damn good meal.”

Hinata shrugged, “I just love volleyball. But you do too, don’t you, senpai?”

Atsumu laughed a bit and nodded, “Enough to make me conceited over it, and I don’t mind, because I have higher standards for my spikers.” He yawned loudly and poked Hinata’s cheek, “Now go to sleep, ya drunkard! How long are ya gonna keep me here?”

Hinata snickered softly, yawning again as his eyes slowly began to flutter shut. He squeezed Atsumu’s hand again, muttering softly, “Don’t go till I fall asleep.”

Atsumu sighed and nodded, returning the grip on Hinata’s hand, “I won’t… ‘M right here, Shoyo-kun.”

Hinata smiled slightly and felt sleepiness invade his mind. He kept muttering soft nonsenses periodically, almost as if to make sure that Atsumu was still there. And sure enough, Atsumu responded to every single one. He watched over Hinata until the younger male was breathing evenly and no longer muttering to check if Atsumu was around. He yawned again, resting his head on the mattress. He supposed he could wait a little longer before he headed back to his place. Just in case Hinata woke up.

Right?

Right.

Atsumu woke up with a soft groan the next morning when sunlight filtered into his room. He yawned softly, only to become immediately aware of a searing pain in his back. “Fuuuuuck,” he groaned out in pain as he stretched up, straightening his back.

His eyes slowly opened up only to see a tuft of ginger hair in front of him.

What the fuck?!

He pulled away only to find that he couldn’t move away entirely. Hinata was still squeezing his hand into non-existence. He blinked a couple of times at the ginger’s sleeping face. He had apparently just fallen asleep on the floor beside Hinata. No wonder his back was crying at him.

He sighed and tried to wiggle his hand free of Hinata’s titan grip, but it was to no avail. Instead, all it did was wake the younger up, as Atsumu noticed by the soft groan coming from before him. He yelped slightly and tried to pull away from Hinata, but only got a louder groan.

Hinata’s eyes slowly fluttered open and he tilted his head at the sight of Atsumu before him. He blinked a couple of times as memories flooded his mind, then quickly let go of Atsumu’s hand and shot up in bed, bowing his head slowly, “Oh my god, Atsumu-senpai, I’m so sorry! I must have inconvenienced you so badly!”

Atsumu sighed and reached forward, ruffling Hinata’s hair with the hand that _wasn’t_ numb from being squeezed by a certain someone all night, “Don’t fret, Shoyo-kun. It’s fine. I was fully planning on going back to my room last night, not sure when I fell asleep.”

Hinata tilted his head and looked at Atsumu on the floor, “Oh fu- Um. I mean… You slept on the floor, that’s terrible. Your back must be in so much pain.”

Atsumu sighed and nodded, “A little, but I’ll just catch a nap later, we don’t have practise today. I reckon most of the players are too hungover to play much anyway.”

Hinata lit up at that, “In that case! Can I massage your back for you? I’m really good at it!”

Atsumu blinked a couple of times in shock. He wasn’t in all that much pain, but a massage? Damned if he could refuse that. He sighed and nodded, “Alright. I’m going to go brush my teeth and wash my face first though.”

Hinata nodded, “I’ll do that too!!” Atsumu sighed and stood up, stretching himself out as Hinata did the same. Atsumu sighed and left the room, heading down the hall to his own, and into his shared bathroom with Shion. He sighed and yawned slightly, putting some toothpaste on his brush and brushing his teeth. He continued to stretch his back as much as possible, trying to rid it of as many air pockets as possible. He tried not to let himself get too excited about, or even think too hard about Hinata sitting on his back. On top of him. God, maybe he should make a trip to Osamu’s and have the guy knock a few teeth out. Atsumu would deserve it. He sighed and dragged himself back to Hinata’s room, knocking on the door gently, “’S me, Shoyo-kun.”

The door opened wide immediately, and Hinata looked up at Atsumu with a wide grin, “Hey, Atsumu-senpai!” He stepped aside so Atsumu could step into the room once again, “You can lie down on the bed! Just take your slippers off. It’d probably be best of you took your shirt off too.”

Atsumu yelped a bit as he left his slippers by the door, “My shirt?!”

Hinata nodded, “Yeah, it would let me feel the knots better so I can get them out better… Um… Unless you’re uncomfortable…”

Atsumu sighed and shook his head, “Not really, I was just a bit shocked… Where’d ya learn to give massages, Shoyo-kun?” He grinned as he pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it on the floor and getting on the bed face down.

Hinata smiled and pulled the chair up beside the bed and sat down on it. Atsumu blinked a couple of times, mentally slapping himself for thinking that Hinata would straddle him to massage him. Hinata was professional.

Well, with his technique, he might as well have been. Within minutes of Hinata starting the massage, Atsumu was _moaning_ at how good it felt. Shit, he could have fallen asleep if he wasn’t so damn conscious of the fact that it was Hinata giving him this heavenly massage. Subconsciously, he found himself thinking thoughts like _how did Shoyo-kun learn to do this_ , or _who else has received these massages from Shoyo-kun_ , or _can I get one like this every day?_

And apparently he had muttered that last one out loud, because Hinata’s hands retreated from Atsumu’s back and a soft chuckle came from him, waking Atsumu from his half sleep to look at Hinata. “I can if you want, senpai.”

Atsumu blinked a couple of times and grinned sideways at Hinata, “You sure you want to make that committment to me? You may regret it…”

Hinata tilted his head, “Giving massages? I can’t imagine that.”

Atsumu smiled and turned onto his back, pulling Hinata on top of him, “Don’t bet on it.” He grinned widely as he flipped them over, pinning Hinata under him as he tickled Hinata’s sides.

Hinata yelped and kicked about, laughing out uncontrollably, “Ahh! Atsumu-senpai… Senpai, stopp… Stoppppp!! Please… Oh my god, I can’t…” He laughed some more and tried to push Atsumu away but it was to no avail. He wheezed and cackled like a dying seal, flopping around like a fish out of water.

Atsumu chuckled slightly and stopped after a few more minutes of tormenting the little tangerine. He laughed a little and rolled over to lie on the bed beside Hinata, “Seriously though, yer massages are good enough to pay for.”

Hinata smiled and looked over at Atsumu, panting heavily after all the laughing and kicking, “I’m glad you think so.”

Atsumu smiled and leaned in, placing a chaste kiss on Hinata’s lips, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away. He blinked a couple of times before sitting up with a jerk, “Shit. Sorry. I just, uh… I… Fuck… Why aren’t ya saying anything?”

Hinata blinked a couple of times, eyes not really focusing on anything for a few moments, surely as he was trying to process what had just happened. He reached out and hesitantly took Atsumu’s hand, pulling him back down onto the bed, biting his lip, “Um… Are you really…sorry?”

Atsumu gulped audibly, scooting closer to Hinata and returning the grip on his hand, “Depends…”

Hinata smiled and leaned back in, pressing his lips against Atsumu’s, sliding his hand down Atsumu’s chest slowly before pulling away with a slight blush, “Don’t be then…”

Atsumu gulped again and tilted his head, searching Hinata’s eyes for a second. After a beat, Atsumu’s hands automatically found Hinata’s waist and pulled him impossibly closer, leaning in to kiss him for all he’s worth.

Well, shit. That was unexpected.

Hinata’s hands rested on Atsumu’s broad chest as he kissed back, going along with every movement Atsumu made. When the older male finally pulled away, he looked up at Atsumu, biting his lip, “Senpai… I um… This… You… You’re really good…”

Atsumu grinned and rested his head against the pillow, yawning slightly, “Mind if I take a little nap like this? Since someone had me sleep while sitting.”

Hinata smiled and nuzzled into Atsumu’s hold, yawning as well, “I could use a nap too. Would you like to go out for dinner somewhere later today? Onigiri Miya maybe?”

Atsumu smiled and nodded, eyes fluttering shut all too soon, “Sure thing..” He muttered before very quickly falling into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this fic is going in a slightly different direction than I initially anticipated lmao, it's writing itself at this point.
> 
> Anyway, I will try to have another chapter out around new year's, where the angst will probably begin.


	3. Coffee To Syrup

“Here ya go, Shoyo-kun. Ya can have the very best onigiri, I’ll give the stale ones to ‘Tsumu.”

Hinata giggled and grinned up at Miya Osamu across the counter and nodded, “Thank you, Osamu-san!”

Atsumu narrowed his eyes at Osamu and crossed his arms, “I’ll leave ya a shitty yelp review, ya lil shit.”

Osamu shrugged, “I’m sure it’ll go unnoticed, my business is doing pretty damn great after all.”

Atsumu stuck his tongue out at Osamu, “Well, ya suck.”

Osamu sighed and handed Atsumu a plate of onigiri, “How are ya the older one, honestly?”

Hinata chuckled light-heartedly while munching on his rice balls. Atsumu watched him in adoration, this time openly. He _had_ already kissed Hinata, so he figured looking couldn’t possibly be bad. And Hinata seemed to like it, with the way he made eye contact with Atsumu only to blush beet red. Atsumu grinned and reached forward, brushing a few grains of rice off of Hinata’s lips, “Ya eat pretty cutely, Shoyo-kun.”

“Disgusting. I hope I don’t have to remind ya that yer in public.” Osamu’s cold voice came at Atsumu and not without a glare too, before handing over some napkins to Hinata with a warm smile.

Atsumu narrowed his eyes at Osamu before turning back to Hinata, “Next time, we should just grab the Onigiri and go eat somewhere this asshole can’t see.”

Hinata blinked a couple of times and tilted his head, “Next time?”

Atsumu blinked a couple of times in return, clearing his throat, “Uh. If ya want one. Sorry, was I getting ahead of myself?”

Hinata shook his head slowly, “N-No! I would like one! I just, um… Is this a date?”

Atsumu paused again, studying Hinata’s face, “If ya want it to be. Is that okay?”

Hinata nodded slowly, “I-It is, it’s just… I don’t really know you, Atsumu-senpai…”

Atsumu nodded, “Isn’t that what dating is for? Wait, what did ya think we were doing?”

Hinata bit his lip, shrugging ever so slightly, “I just… I kinda assumed you wanted to sleep with me… And this was a courtesy…”

Atsumu sighed and pulled away from the counter to face Hinata, “I’m sorry. I shoulda been more clear with ya. I’m interested in ya, Shoyo-kun. I’d love to get to know ya better and date ya seriously. I know I look like it, but I’m not the type to sleep around.”

Hinata set his onigiri down and faced Atsumu as well, biting his lip slightly, “I um… Will you be mad if I said yes even though I don’t actually know how I feel? To… To dating, I mean…”

Atsumu shook his head, “No. I’m just happy yer giving me a chance.”

“Lord alone knows why, I’ll pray for ya, Shoyo-kun.”

Atsumu shot another glare at Osamu for his unwarranted comments. He put on a smile and gritted out, “I wish the store owner wouldn’t butt into our conversations, what a dick. Does he not have anything better to do?”

Osamu crossed his arms and made a gesture with his head at the rest of the store, “Does it _look_ like I have anything else to do? Ya both are the only ones in here, and I prepare food to order, and I’m done cleaning for the time being. So this is on ya, not me, ‘Tsumu.”

Atsumu sighed and looked over at Hinata, “And then he says his business is doing great. Can we just head back?”

Hinata chuckled as he finished up his last onigiri, “Sure, Atsumu-senpai! As long as I can get some onigiri to go!”

Osamu smiled at Hinata and handed him a small box that he had already prepared, “Here ya go, Shoyo-kun. Enjoy them. See ya next time.”

Hinata smiled and nodded, grabbing the box with both his hands, “Thank you, Osamu-san!”

Osamu leaned in when Hinata grabbed the box, pulling the younger one forward slightly so he could whisper in his ear, “I never said this, but if yer having doubts about ‘Tsumu, let him go sooner rather than later. And don’t hurt him.”

Hinata nodded slowly as he pulled back and straightened himself out. Atsumu wrapped his arms protectively around Hinata’s shoulders, “I won’t let ya have him, ‘Samu.”

Osamu sighed and nodded, “Right right. I don’t want him, though he’s an absolute cutie. My target comes in in about 20 minutes, so scram before then.”

Atsumu grinned widely and tilted his head, “Oh? He comes every day? Akaashi-kun must really like ya.”

Hinata perked up at that, as Osamu sighed, “I sure hope so, I’ve been trying for months now.”

Hinata tilted his head, looking up at Atsumu enthusiastically, “Akaashi-san and Osamu-san are dating?”

Osamu sighed and shook his head, “Osamu-san is right here, kiddo. But nah. I’m trying to work my way there though.”

Hinata lit up slightly and tilted his head, “That’s amazing! Oh my god, Osamu-san, I have just the idea! Take him for a movie and dinner! I have two free passes with concession combos for the theatre! You can have them, I have volleyball most days anyway, and I’m not all that big on movies, I prefer manga and anime.” Hinata checked a few of his pockets one after another before pulling out a pass for 2 free movie tickets, “Here you go! Please use them! As thanks for the onigiri!”

Osamu looked down at the movie pass and sighed, grabbing it from Hinata, “Alright, Shoyo-kun. Only because yer a total cutie. If this doesn’t work out for me, I’m coming for ya, though.”

Hinata snickered and thought for a second, “Hmmm, well, if he asks, don’t tell him I told you, but Akaashi-san loves romantic comedies. He’s a total sap!”

Osamu grinned and tilted his head fondly, “I ain’t surprised in the least.”

Atsumu faked gagging noises from the side before taking Hinata’s hand in his own, “Well, ya have fun with that, ‘Samu. We’re outta here.” He gently led Hinata out of the establishment and down for about a block before turning to him with a massive pout, “What’d ‘Samu whisper to ya?”

Hinata chuckled softly and leaned closer to Atsumu as he walked, “Don’t tell him I told you, because he said he never said it. But he told me not to hurt you.”

Atsumu blinked a couple of times before turning to look at his feet as he walked in silence. He gently squeezed Hinata’s hand, biting his lip, “Don’t listen to him,” he muttered out, quiet as a mouse.

Hinata tilted his head and returned the squeeze on Atsumu’s hand, “I mean… I won’t hurt you… Osamu-san didn’t have to tell me that. I mean, if I’m being honest… You know, so my cards are on the table, I’m not ready for a relationship. I’ve just had a lot of bad experiences with them, and even though being with you is so easy, I don’t know if I can take the plunge just yet. But that doesn’t mean that I’m willing to hurt someone to test the waters for myself. I’ve had that happen enough to me that I would never do that to anyone else. But um… I would also appreciate it if you told me if and when you feel like you want to get serious about this, so we can talk about it. Because right now, making out with you and casually going to dinner is about all I can handle.”

Atsumu nodded, his hand slowly, as naturally as possible, letting go of Hinata’s, “Understood… So are we making out after this then?”

Hinata blushed lightly, looking up at Atsumu with wide eyes, “O-Only if you’re up for it.”

Atsumu snickered and nodded, “Always. Might I suggest my room? Mainly because my cat may tear the place down if I leave her alone for another night.”

Hinata lit up and almost screamed, “You have a _cat_?!” He gasped when he realized how loudly he had asked that, clasping his hand over his mouth, “Whoops…”

Atsumu chuckled and nodded, “I do. She’s a 2 year old ginger named Mikan. She’s usually pretty calm and cuddly, but if I leave her alone for too long, she gets antsy…”

Hinata bit his lip and looked down, “Oh my god… It’s my fault… I’m so sorry… The poor thing…”

Atsumu smiled and reached over, ruffling Hinata’s hair, “I’m sure if ya cuddle her, she’ll forgive ya.”

Hinata smiled and nodded excitedly, “Alright! Your room it is! I will make it up to Mikan-chan!”

Atsumu smiled as they reached the dorms, which were pretty close to Osamu’s business, “Alright. Y’wanna get changed and stuff first?”

Hinata nodded, “Yeah, that sounds good! I’ll get changed, brush my teeth and stuff, then meet you in your room… Wait… Which one is your room?”

Atsumu smiled, “The one next to Bokkun’s. On the opposite end of the hall from yer room.”

Hinata nodded again as they stepped into the elevator, “Alright.” He watched the numbers increase on the elevator for a few floors before shifting towards Atsumu and resting his cheek on Atsumu’s shoulders.

Atsumu smiled and rested his cheek on Hinata’s head, nosing his hair, “What?”

Hinata smiled and shook his head slightly, nuzzling against Atsumu’s neck, “Nothing.”

Atsumu smiled and stepped out of the elevator when they were on the tenth floor and headed to the right, “Alright, see ya in a few minutes, Shoyo-kun.” Hinata smiled and stood up on his toes, kissing Atsumu’s cheek before running off to his room. Atsumu grinned and went to his own room, quickly tidying up the surface. Not that Atsumu was a particularly messy person, but he did get lazy from time to time. Throwing clothes onto his desk chair or kotatsu or TV, leaving books on the floor by his bed, other similar things. Easy enough to tidy up in thirty seconds. He quickly stepped into the bathroom to refill Mikan’s bowl of water, and splashed some water on his face before tossing his clothes in the laundry bin and slipping on a fresh pair of sweatpants and t-shirt. He took a deep breath and curled up on the bed next to his cat and scratched her head gently, smiling at her warmly, “Hey, pretty… Sorry I left ya alone…”

Mikan’s eyes slowly opened and she purred at Atsumu’s touch, nuzzling into his hand. Atsumu snickered slightly and continued scratching until there was a knock on the door about five minutes later. He smiled and planted a kiss on Mikan’s forehead before walking towards the door and opening it to look at Hinata waiting wide-eyed in his ( _very_ ) short shorts and t-shirt. He blinked a couple of times and tilted his head, “Ummm… Do I look weird? I-I thought…in case I sleep over… I um, tend to overheat when sleeping.”

Atsumu grinned and pulled Hinata into the room, shutting and locking the door behind them, “Ya look great, ’s okay… Are ya though? Sleeping over, I mean…”

Hinata blushed slightly and looked down at the ground, “Um… M-Maybe? I mean… We do have volleyball in the morning, so… I don’t know…”

Atsumu smiled and reached out, stroking Hinata’s cheek gently, “Whatever ya want, Shoyo-kun. I can manage either way.”

Hinata nodded and bit his lip, slipping his hand into Atsumu’s, looking around his room, “Your room looks really nice. The kotatsu looks so comf- oh my god!!!!” Hinata’s eyes lit up like 200,000 watt bulbs as he immediately let go of Atsumu’s hand and ran to his bed, sitting down beside Mikan, who had stood up on the bed to check who the new person in the room was. “She’s soooo cuuuute!!” Hinata smiled and carefully approached her, so he wouldn’t frighten her.

Atsumu smiled and sat down on Mikan’s other other, picking her up and putting her in Hinata’s lap, “Ya don’t gotta be cautious, she warms up to people really easily.”

Hinata lit up even brighter somehow and gently stroked Mikan’s head and neck, chuckling as she curled up into his touch, “You weren’t kidding! She’s so sweet!!”

Atsumu smiled and wrapped his arm around Hinata’s waist, pulling him up completely onto the bed, so both their backs were leaning against the headboard. Mikan got a little startled initially, but she was more than happy to curl up once again once the movements stopped. Atsumu smiled and leaned his head on Hinata’s shoulder, reaching down and joining him to pat Mikan, “Jesus, ya have beautiful legs, Shoyo-kun… Where’d ya get those god thighs?”

Hinata chuckled softly and shifted, pressing his thigh against Atsumu’s, “Brazil, probably?”

Atsumu raised his eyebrow and leaned down to peck Hinata’s cheek, “Are ya being coy with me?”

Hinata snickered and picked Mikan up in his arms, cradling her, “I don’t know, am I?”

Atsumu bit his lip for a second and turned Hinata sideways, giving a few scratches to Mikan, who was blissfully half asleep in Hinata’s cradle. He then pulled Hinata’s legs over his lap, quickly reaching up to gently touch Hinata’s cheek, since he could now look at Hinata, “Hey… On a more serious note… Where do ya draw the line? What’s too much?”

Hinata blinked a few times, thinking about the question for a moment before tilting his head, “I… Um… What did you have in mind?”

Atsumu shook his head, “It’s not about what I had in mind. I’m asking ya what yer comfortable with. I have nothing in mind until I know what yer limits are.”

Hinata nodded slowly and bit his lip, “I um… Would it be bad if I said I don’t really have any?”

Atsumu blinked a couple of times and slowly shook his head, “No… If that’s how ya genuinely feel, then nothing’s wrong. I will tell ya now though, _I_ am not ready to have sex with ya. It’s a big step for me, and I can’t bring myself to sleep with ya while we’re still so early on in our…well…ya know… into seeing each other, I s’pose.”

Hinata nodded, “Of course! I respect your limits as much as you respect mine, senpai! Please let me know when something is wrong…”

Atsumu smiled and gently stroked Hinata’s cheeks, “Can I touch you then?” Hinata blinked a couple of times in confusion, no doubt at the contradiction Atsumu just made, so Atsumu sighed and clarified, “I meant yer legs… Maybe yer chest… Nothing too much for me…”

Hinata’s head snapped back on and he nodded quickly, “Oh! Yeah, yeah, of course! Cuddles and touching are A-okay!”

Atsumu’s eyes lit up slightly and he experimentally brushed his finger against Hinata’s thigh, just above his knee, “I thought ya were the one who had no limits?” He grinned and leaned in, pecking Hinata’s lips ever so slightly. He turned his attention down to Hinata’s legs, stroking the soft, supple skin gently, drawing lines over the muscle lines he found, “Ya shave yer legs?”

Hinata nodded slowly, trying to shy behind Mikan, who had woken up and was licking Hinata’s jaw, clearly wanting more attention, “Yeah… It was so hot in Brazil, and I hated the feeling of sand against my leg hair… And I found I could move more swiftly without it, though maybe that’s a psychological thing, but I started shaving when I was over there. It became a habit after that… Is it weird? It’s weird, isn’t it?”

Atsumu tilted his head and shrugged, “Nah, not really… Not at all actually. Doesn’t really matter to me whether ya have leg hair or not, that’s yer choice. Besides, those are all valid reasons to shave.”

Hinata looked up at Atsumu, relief apparent in his face, and leaned in for a deep kiss. Atsumu grinned and wrapped his free arm around Hinata’s waist, pulling him closer as he kissed back. He ran his hand up Hinata’s leg to reach for Mikan between them, stroking her a few times before carefully repositioning her onto the bed beside them, so he could close the gap between himself and Hinata even more. Hinata’s arms wrapped around Atsumu’s shoulders as he leaned closer as well. Atsumu slid his hand back to Hinata’s legs, stroking up and down slowly. He pulled away after a couple of seconds, panting softly, and watching Hinata do the same. He smiled and leaned in, pecking Hinata’s forehead gently before leaning back on the bed and looking at Mikan, who had gone over to her food bowl to eat some kibbles. Hinata leaned on Atsumu’s shoulder, still panting softly and keeping his arms around Atsumu’s neck, “Atsumu-senpai…? You um… You said I could tell you about things…when I was ready… Um… Does that still…stand?”

Atsumu tilted his head and nodded, “Of course… What do ya want to talk about?”

Hinata shook his head slowly, “N-No, I just meant… Well… Now that we’re seeing each other… Don’t you want to know what happened with my exes? Or why I’m not ready for a relationship yet?”

Atsumu shook his head, “I’m curious, sure… But ya can tell me whenever ya want to… No rush…”

Hinata sighed and leaned against Atsumu’s shoulder, “You’re too good a person…”

Atsumu grinned slightly, “Ya’d be the only one to say that to lil old me.”

Hinata shook his head, “No, I wouldn’t. You are a really good person.” He nuzzled against Atsumu and sighed, “After Kageyama, I was with a guy who wasn’t really into guys and was just fooling around, but didn’t think to let me in on that, so I was falling alone for months until he told me he got a girlfriend out of nowhere… And then I was with another guy who turned out to be part of a drug cartel in Rio, and is probably a murderer too… Thank the lord that _he_ broke it off with _me_ , I would’ve lived in fear of being stabbed or something if I had been the one to end things… So then I kinda just got really scared of meaningful connections, and went around hooking up with anyone I could find, even women, even though I’m as gay as they come. I just wanted something to numb my heart. I threw myself into volleyball and alcohol and sex as much as I could to stop thinking about how badly I had been betrayed. I’m not ready to talk about the train-wreck that was my relationship with Kageyama, but… I just felt like you deserved to know what you’re getting into.”

Atsumu nodded, gently stroking Hinata’s hair through the whole story. It had been pretty unexpected. He had figured that Hinata had been scarred by love, as have most people who aren’t “ready” for relationships. But he didn’t imagine that it would be quite this bad. He leaned in and gently planted his lips on Hinata’s head, “Thanks for telling me, Shoyo-kun. Ya didn’t have to. But I appreciate it. And for what it’s worth, I’m a straight shooter. I don’t like liars, and I don’t like lying. I may be a fox, but I am an honest one. I would never get another guy behind yer back, or join any yakuza circles, which I guess would be the equivalent of a drug cartel here? But believe ya me, I will do my absolute utmost to make ya happy. I’m not here to ‘wham bam thank ya ma’am’ ya. And I’m most certainly not trying to use ya to cover up any of my crimes. I promise.”

Hinata snickered slightly at the end and nodded, “Okay… I’ll try my best to trust you, Senpai…”

Atsumu nodded and nosed Hinata’s hair, “Ya don’t actually gotta call me senpai, ya know… Atsumu or Tsumu is more than enough… I was just being an ass yesterday…”

Hinata nodded and nuzzled closer to Atsumu, “But I like calling you senpai! Though Tsumu-san is pretty nice too.”

Atsumu nodded, blood slowly rising to his face, “It sounds so damn adorable when yer the one to say it.”

Hinata smiled and kissed Atsumu’s cheek, “It’s getting kinda late… Should I go back?”

Atsumu pouted and tightened his arm around Hinata’s waist, “Do ya have to? Ya know ya can stay…”

Hinata nodded and kissed Atsumu briefly, “I know. But I also know you’re making an effort to do this… _us_ …justice. So I want to do the same. I’ll sleep in my own room until we’re ready to do sleepovers.”

Atsumu nodded slowly, but didn’t loosen his hold on Hinata just yet. He leaned in to kiss Hinata deeply, once again enjoying the feeling of his soft legs as he did. He then moved his hand up to play with the ends of Hinata’s hair until he was satisfied. He pulled away, gently stroking Hinata’s cheek, smiling at the sight of the younger male panting and blushing profusely. Only then did he loosen his hold on Hinata, “Alright… I suppose I can let ya go…”

Hinata blushed deeply and slowly stood up from the bed, crouching ever so slightly, “Well, now you’ve made it quite a bit harder for me to get back to my room.”

Atsumu grinned and tilted his head, “Ya _could_ just stay. It’s not crossing my lines if ya do.”

Hinata sighed and nodded, “I know… But I’m just…bad…at sleepovers… I don’t know how to…uh… _not_ have sex during a sleepover.”

Atsumu raised his eyebrow, “Ya mean ya don’t know what else we could do?” Hinata nodded slowly, shyly, so Atsumu continued, “Oh, Shoyo-kun! We can do anything. We don’t even have to cuddle if ya don’t want… We could watch some anime, play some cards, play with Mikan, play online games, only because I don’t got a console here. We have all the freedom in the world. What do ya wanna do?”

Hinata bit his lip slightly and nodded, “Um… I don’t…want to leave… I want to stay…”

Atsumu nodded and tilted his head, “Do ya wanna use the bathroom to get rid of yer problem?”

Hinata looked down at his crotch with annoyance flashing over his face, “No… It’s too much work.. It’ll just go away… Can we play some games?”

Atsumu nodded happily and scooted over on the bed to make room for Hinata. Once Hinata sat down, he pulled a lap desk over their laps and the placed his laptop on it, firing it up, “What do ya like playing?”

Hinata shrugged, “I usually play RPGs, Kenma got me into them, and now I’m obsessed. I’ve been really into Genshin Impact recently.”

Atsumu lit up and pointed at the Mihoyo icon on his desktop, “For real? Me too! Ya got anyone fun?”

Hinata shrugged, “I did pull Zhongli when his banner was up. I tried for Childe, but I ended up getting Mona. Which is fine too, I love the speed she gives me. I’m saving for Xiao now, because he’s just too pretty.”

Atsumu grinned and nodded, “I hear ya. I got Venti from his banner, and just got Albedo. I was hoping to save my primos for Ganyu, but oh well. Xiao is pretty tempting too, but I have Venti and I need a Cryo unit, so I’m picking Ganyu. Ya wanna play some Genshin?”

Hinata shook his head slowly, “I don’t like playing it on mobile, I keep hitting the wrong things, but we should play some other time! I can bring my laptop!” Hinata gasped in shock as he felt something against his arm. The one that _wasn’t_ beside Atsumu. He yelped and snapped his head only to see a ball of ginger fur. “Awwwwwww!!! Mikan-chan! You came back to us!” He smiled and picked the cat up in glee, holding her up and scratching her neck gently.

Mikan purred softly as she reached out to paw at Hinata’s cheek. She stretched herself out in his hold before curling up in his lap again, letting out a soft meow. Hinata smiled and pet the cat as he turned to Atsumu, “Ummm… So _you_ could play Genshin while I watch and play with Mikan?”

Atsumu snickered and nodded, “Whatever ya say.” He smiled and opened up the Genshin Impact app, waiting for it to load while he reached over to pet Mikan as well, “She really likes ya.”

Hinata tilted his head, “Yeah?”

Atsumu nodded, “Absolutely. She’s not usually a lap cat. She likes being on my lap, but she’s terrified of Bokuto-san and Akaashi-kun. She likes Omi-Omi though. Still, ya know him, he isn’t about to pet the cat unless she’s right out of the bath or something. I do think he likes her though.”

Hinata snickered and nodded, “Omi-san seems like he would love cats.”

Atsumu smiled and kissed Hinata’s cheek, “No more talking about other men being good. I’ll get jealous.”

Hinata pouted, “That’s not what I meant and you know it!”

Atsumu nodded, “I know. I’m just pulling yer leg.” He grinned smugly as his app opened up and he was in Mondstadt. He smiled and tilted his head, “So what would ya like to see me do?”

Hinata tilted his head, “Can I be really mean and make you fight the wolf?”

Atsumu sighed and nodded, “I guess I can do that for ya… I’m not gonna enjoy it though.”

Hinata snickered and nuzzled against Atsumu in time with Mikan nuzzling against him, “But it’ll be so much fun to watch you suffer.”

Atsumu looked down at Hinata, “Fine, but next time, ya gotta do the wolf.”

Hinata nodded, “Alright, deal. Is this a good time to mention I have Keqing?”

Atsumu narrowed his eyes at Hinata, “Ass. It’s okay, my Diluc and Venti combo does pretty well.”

Hinata snapped his neck up and looked at the party screen to see a red-haired beauty on Atsumu’s party, “Oh my god, no way! You have Diluc?! I want him so badly!!!”

Atsumu grinned and shrugged, “And I want Keqing, but what can we do. Actually, I don’t really want Keqing, I don’t have enough swords to give out to sword users. But I would like Keqing for the teleportation ability.”

Hinata nodded, “It’s pretty convenient. She’s my main DPS.”

Atsumu tilted his head, “Damn, I didn’t think ya’d know gamer lingo, Shoyo-kun…”

Hinata raised an eyebrow incredulously, “Um… I spend half my non-volleyball time watching Kenma streaming. Or well, I used to, in Rio, because it was just nice to feel home for once… So I picked up all the lingo.”

Atsumu nodded and turned his attention to the screen as he started fighting the wolf boss. He tried not to make too much noise when he got hit, since it was past 10 and they had volleyball at 8 in the morning. Bokuto was the type of person to want a full 8 hours of sleep all the time, so Atsumu had to keep it down while gaming. After about 5 minutes of suffering, he finally beat the boss. He then went on to fight some other bosses, do some side quests, open some chests, and before he knew it, Hinata was breathing deeply and evenly against him, barely moving. He smiled and carefully put the laptop and lap desk away, careful not to wake Hinata. He then carefully picked Mikan up from Hinata’s lap, setting the cat on the corner of the bed that she usually slept on, at least until she woke up in the middle of the night to have some untold adventure. Atsumu very carefully readjusted Hinata so he was laying down and pulled the blanket over the tangerine boy, then walked over to the lights, turning them off. He drank some water from his bottle before crawling into the bed beside Hinata, this time nuzzling into Hinata’s neck himself, using Hinata's arm as a pillow, instead of the other way around. And Hinata didn't seem to mind, because in his sleep, he almost instantly wrapped his other arm around Atsumu. So Atsumu wrapped his arm around Hinata's waist with a soft yawn, nuzzling into the warmth and slowly dozing off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHFKAHKHF I'M SO BAD, I WANTED TO POST THIS BY NEW YEARS BUT HERE WE ARE.
> 
> Anyway, Happy New Year to any of y'all who believe in that/celebrate it (I don't, but that's just me)!
> 
> I thought about writing volleyball in this chapter, but then it kind of took a different turn, so I'm happy to write little spurts of angst. Poor little tangerine.
> 
> I also have an idea for another fanfic, so like I may start writing that simultaneously, but that'll be a One Piece (specifically LawLu) fanfic.
> 
> Anyway, hope y'all like this chaotic chapter. I've been playing a lot of Genshin Impact myself lately, so I had to shoehorn it in LMAO. I also desperately want a cat, so this is me living vicariously through Atsumu and Hinata. Mikan means orange/tangerine, and I ended up naming her that before I remembered that Hinata is also orange so now there's 2. Oh welp.
> 
> Cheers, stay safe, take care!


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